Gearing up for digital marketing in 2024, we each made a prediction for a major theme to look for in 2024 and discussed how these topics can revolutionize the social media industry this year.

AUTOMATE

From Nicole’s Desk:

In 2024, automation technology on social media platforms will become a time-saving tool for marketers while more precisely pulling data performance and analytics.

For one, marketers will be empowered to make data-driven decisions quickly, thanks to algorithmic, real-time data analysis.

Secondly, social media marketing is shifting toward seemingly more personalized interactions with automated direct-to-user engagement.

Automated messages on Instagram can quickly interact with your audience and grow your following. One strategy that’s succeeding is using the CTA (call-to-action) “comment to receive this free offer” with an instant, follow-up direct message with a link to download.

This method is proving more engaging than the usual go-to of visiting the “link in bio.”

While knowing how best to use AI-fueled automation is still a tricky skill that needs to be mastered before it can be fully and effectively utilized, investing time in learning about AI and how to use it effectively can enable businesses to streamline processes to achieve their goals and drive success.

AESTHETIC

From Amie’s Desk:

The philosophy of aesthetics revolves around having a sense of the beautiful. In relation to social media, it has come to refer to the overall visual theme and mood of an account.

An aesthetic marketing strategy places a strong emphasis on the visual and emotional aspects of branding, products, and services. It involves crafting a distinct and visually appealing identity for a business or brand, with the goal of creating a strong emotional connection with the target audience.

Aesthetic marketing aims to evoke specific feelings, attitudes, and perceptions in consumers through cohesive color schemes and font choices, organic images and videos, and even a unique tone in messaging.

It all starts with a solid brand identity, which will translate your narrative into the visual representation of your social media profiles and ensure that viewers have a strong memory of your distinctive aesthetics.

HUMANIZE

From Victoria’s Desk:

Looking back at 2023 and the year’s major themes, marketing or otherwise, one topic prevailed: Artificial Intelligence.

While the use of AI is becoming a powerful tool for the marketing industry, we, as marketers, should seek to balance it. Enter: humanize.

I see humanizing, not as an antithesis of AI, but instead, as a reminder that authenticity cannot be faked. Overuse of AI in marketing, especially in writing, is off-putting, disingenuous, and often unchecked.

As AI generative content persists into new formats, many readers are jaded of “crucial,” “essential,” and repetitive AI-written language (the quoted text are words that ChatGPT uses in excess– and the emojis– why so many emojis?). ChatGPT is often clunky and confusing to read, because– well– it doesn’t sound human. It’s easy for your message to be lost in the awkwardness.

Mike Stelzner, CEO of Social Media Examiner, recently posted that he’s blocking comments on LinkedIn that are written by AI bots, and for good reason– new online etiquette requires the bare minimum in order to be polite: show up genuinely as you, your brand, or your business. Don’t delegate every task to a shiny new app.

Humanizing is a reminder that you don’t have to be everything to everyone and you don’t have to use every feature on every social media platform.

As a quip, AI technology cannot replicate human hands. This same failure at mimicry can be applied to AI writing: it does a good job at automation and “robot things,” but there’s strangeness when it tries to do “human things.”

Instead of using AI writing technology as a fast and dirty way to create content, I predict that UGC (user-generated content) is going to be a major strategy for brands and businesses of all sizes in 2024.

UGC will be the industry’s way to disrupt AI-created content in 2024.

DISRUPT

From Jamie’s Desk:

Four years ago, the world pulled the rug out from us all. Now that we have recovered, it’s time we return the favor.

With Google and Apple ditching ages-old practices like cookie tracking, social media influencers falling in favor of social media storytellers, and companies finally beginning to embrace a network (vs seat-anchoring) mentality when it comes to meeting the needs of the organization (we’re big fans of the hybrid approach), I don’t think I am alone in this word choice.

This is a year to reclaim your company’s goals, resist the urge to measure success against the neighboring corporation, revisit how many things you do on a daily basis because “that’s the way we’ve always done it.”

Personally, I’ve always been a bit of disruptor. I’m not sure you get to be an entrepreneur if you don’t have that default gear. Some reading this might even say I would benefit from a little less self-initiated disruption. It would certainly make things calmer day-to-day; it also would make things subject to the whims of big tech, financial markets, and, well essentially, anyone but you. Take control of your own destiny with intention. Decide what your business exists to do, tell the story, find your people, and take it from there.

• Don’t “do” social media because you’re told you have to; do it because it’s a way to share your story.
• Don’t advertise online because you think you need to just to survive; do it with precise targeting using an authentic message that resonates with your audience (and don’t forget about non-digital or at least non-social advertising).
• Don’t hire an employee you have to supervise just to “cover bases”; work with a qualified partner you can hold accountable with less financial risk.

For me, in the spirit of transparency, I will spend the first part of this year disrupting my own business. Looking for ways to do things better, working with only those who help my team and my clients; trimming excessive tech and looking for the most efficient (not the most impressive) tools.

Last year I did plenty of personal disruption (moving, starting another grad program, taking on leadership of a charter school board, cutting ties with things and people who no longer made sense), so I’d love to say I will focus 2024’s disruption on professional endeavors. But, if we truly learned anything in 2020, it should be to never say never.